‘Unreasonable’ planning condition appealed to ABP

A ENERGY storage unit provider has labelled a condition set out by South Dublin County Council for granting permission as “unreasonable” and “inappropriate” in an appeal to An Bord Pleanála.

Energy Optimisation Solutions Limited (EOS) is seeking permission for the installation of an energy storage unit at an existing data centre facility at 4033 Citywest Avenue in Citywest Business Park.

Keppel Data Centre, which operates 25 data centres in some 10 countries, has given permission to the applicant to locate battery storage facilities on the site of the existing data centre on site.

According to its website, EOS is a business which provides a fully funded, secure and sustainable energy storage solution to produce additional resilience of supply and reduce costs.

Proposals are for the placement of three ISO 40ft shipping containers containing back up storage units at the Keppel Data Centre. On April 20, 2022, the local planning authority greenlit the plans subject to six conditions.

One of the conditions is around the duration of permission.

This permission was granted for a temporary period of three years “to ensure that shipping container structures do not remain as a permanent feature in this area of the Citywest Business Park”.

RW Nowlan & Associates, on behalf of the applicant, lodged the appeal with An Bord Pleanála on May 17, 2022, against this condition.

According to the appellant, the condition “is unreasonable, inappropriate and would be to the detriment of the development if enforced”.

In the appeal, it is highlighted that South Dublin County Council previously granted permission for 15 battery containers of an energy storage compound with no time-limiting condition at the Little Acre site in Newcastle.

“The development of the proposed energy storage facility requires a high level of investment and cannot reasonably be funded if the planning permission would expire in three years,” the appeal reads.